Device management is here referred to as the capability to reach out from a central location, to one or a group of mobile devices to remotely manage them. It is typically implemented by a telecommunications operator, but also within the enterprise or by a providers of service offerings such as configuring their clients' mobile devices. Specific sub-domains of device management are also implemented by mobile device vendors.
Mobile devices may be for example mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants, notebook and laptop computers, SIM cards, vehicle-embarked computers, SmartHome gateways, Internet appliances etc. For the purpose of this patent application, they will be referred to as Terminal Equipment.
Remote management actions requiring the capability to reach out to Terminal Equipments could be, without limitation, involved in the following Terminal Equipment management applications: Initial Provisioning (Bootstrap) of devices, Device re-configuration (Continuous Provisioning), Real-time hardware, software & configuration inventory of devices, Software distribution & management (applications, Operating System, any software), Remote device problem determination, Back-up and restore of configuration data, Network, device, application and service performance monitoring & management, etc.
Enablement on Terminal Equipment side of the management services accessed by the Terminal Equipment requires setting up Terminal Equipments with a complete and correct set of parameter values. If a Terminal Equipment has not been pre-provisioned for the management service, or whenever modifications are required, the end-user has to configure the Terminal Equipment, manually and locally, through its display menus unless a specialist (e.g. Telecommunications operator support personnel) can perform the operation remotely. Technologies exist today which allow to remotely perform parameters settings to a network-connected Terminal Equipment. However, while providing the necessary foundation for remote Terminal Equipment configuration management, these technologies as a whole fall short when it comes to leveraging them in Terminal Equipment management applications that can be deployed for practical Terminal Equipment and end-user remote support.
Further, device management has in the last few years been affected by several significant evolution factors:                a continuous increase in the sophistication of mobile Terminal Equipments which has made them more complex to handle by the end-user        a diversification in the types of Terminal Equipments that participate in the mobile communications        an evolving portfolio of management services, as permitted by the continuous development of the telecommunications industry and of Terminal Equipments technology        at the same time, the end-user has become less technology-savvy, not more, and has raised his/her expectations in terms of quality of experience. This has lead for the telecommunications operator or the enterprise, to a very costly management service desk support.        
There remains to be devised a device management system that would all at the same time involve any management action against any Terminal Equipment, help improve customer satisfaction, be cost effective and, in the case of a service provider or a telecommunications operator, allow for new business processes and associated revenues.